Marc Jeanbart

English 10 (H)

Mr Schmidt

September 29, 2014

Beowulf and Derek Jeter hero Compare and Contrast Essay


First off, what is a hero? A hero according to the Dictionary is somebody who
commits an act of remarkable bravery or who has shown an admirable quality such as
great courage or strength of character and for this specific essay, this quote
represents both. Tom Hanks said, A hero is somebody who voluntarily walks into the
unknown. If we compare to how this quote is put in Beowulf, you could say that
Beowulf walked into the unknown by being able to go and help complete strangers
from a evil-devil sent monster called Grendel whom he eventually slays after a
cunning plan was set in action. We could say the same thing about Derek Jeter since
he walked into the unknown in order to become a better person and one of the most
respected athletes and baseball players in the history of sports. Both Beowulf and
Jeter are similar heroes in the sense that both of them are able to commit to what is
important for others and not just themselves.

Beowulf exemplifies the traits of the perfect hero (Sparknotes.com) those traits
would be youth and strength, he also is a hero that can respect the Germanic codes of
chivalry and he also famous for his courage and pride as well as his swimming battle
with Breca. In first part of the poem, Beowulf matures little, as he possesses heroic
qualities in abundance from the start. Having purified Denmark of its plagues and
established himself as a hero, however, he is ready to enter into a new phase of his life
in which Hogarth whom becomes his father and mentor teaches him how to become a
wiser ruler. During his battle with Grendel, Beowulf uses his cunning and strength in
order to bring down the beast although Beowulf clearly had the upper hand during the
battle and he cops off Grendels arms and nails them to a wall. In the second chapter,
Beowulf has to face Grendels mother who is filled with rage and killing intent from
seeing her son being defeated and nullified. Beowulf got ready, donned his war-gear,
indifferent to death; his mighty, hand-forged, fine-webbed mail would soon meet with
the menace underwater. It would keep the bone-cage of his body safe (Beowulf
Chapter 2) that is the part where Beowulf is adorning his armor in order to go and
face Grendels mother whom he eventually kills with a god-given sword. 50 years
pass and now Beowulf is now the wise king of Hogarths previous kingdom, an evil
dragon has been terrorizing and killing his people. He had trouble in the beginning
since he was old and didnt have the strength he used to have. He gathered his most
loyal followers, knowing he would die; he went and was also killed by the dragon.
Throughout the poem, Beowulfs battles became increasingly more difficult.

Jeter has both money and respect, byproducts of a dogged work ethic and a need to
play with 100% ferocity, health be damned. His 3,316 hits are the most in Yankee
history, and his 256 home runs, 1,261 RBIs, 348 stolen bases and .312 lifetime batting
average serve as odes to a continued brilliance. And most important you dont hear
anything bad about him (CNN News) Derek Jeter is one of the most respected
baseball players in the history of baseball and as mentioned in the stats from the
quotes he has a really impressive lineup of achievements just like Beowulf The
Yankees had done everything for Jeter but he had never asked for any of it in the first
place, he is one of the most humble players in the baseball league and unlike many
baseball players, there wont be another Derek Jeter.

The two heroes are both similar but mostly not similar at all. Beowulf is a warrior
whereas Derek is simply a baseball player. Although both of them have accomplished
great feats whether it may be killing many evil beasts or hitting many powerful
homeruns, Beowulf is fictional whereas Jeter is actually real. When Beowulf would
go to battle, he generally would just go with his sword and some clothing of course
whereas Derek would always make sure hes top notch whenever hes going to any
game. There is a major difference between the two heroes though and that is the
humbleness of one another, Derek is known as one of the most humble players in
baseball history while Beowulf is seen through parts of the play boasting a bit about
his achievements. Although they have many differences, they also have a few
important similarities, the first most important one would be that they both know the
meaning of duty, Derek knows when to take care of his teammates when Beowulf
knows how to take care of the people when he becomes king thanks to the mentoring
of Hogarth. Secondly, they both have great courage and mental strength since they
both know how to react in important and stressful situations.

Both Beowulf and Jeter are similar heroes in the sense that both of them are able to
commit to what is important for others and not just themselves. That is the things that
make up heroes, heroes know how to help and save people, they are the people that
give others hope, inspire them and give them strength. The heroes within Beowulf and
Jeter are able to do both, they can inspire and give strength to the next generation and
they both required great courage since there are always antagonists, even in real life.

Works cited

Sparknotes.com hero quotes
CNN News Derek Jeter